This year’s “Cooks with Collars” competition serves up more than good food – it offers a taste of family tradition and heritage.
The online fundraiser, which runs through Sept. 30, invites parishioners to watch their pastors, priests, and deacons don aprons and share dishes that often trace back to their parents’ kitchens and native countries, reflecting the rich diversity of the Diocese of Allentown and the universal Church.
At St. Ursula, Fountain Hill, Father Brendan Laroche gets a little help from his mom and dad in making a dish from his Slovak roots. Nicknamed “Sauce Rice,” it resembles a deconstructed stuffed cabbage with tomato sauce, finely chopped cabbage, and plenty of rice. For Father Laroche, it was his mother’s way of sneaking “hidden vegetables” into family dinners.
Across the Diocese, other priests are just as eager to showcase flavors from their homes. At St. Catharine of Siena, Reading, Father Van-Vien (JV) Nguyen, Assistant Pastor, whips up a colorful Vietnamese stir-fried rice with shrimp, Asian cured pork sausage, and vegetables.
At St. Benedict, Mohnton, Father Stan Moczydlowski rolls Uszka – Polish dumplings filled with beef and vegetables – served in a steaming bowl of borscht. “Uszka” means “little ears” in Polish, a nod to their distinctive shape.
Dessert makes its way onto the menu at the Cathedral of St. Catharine of Siena, Allentown, where Deacon Tyler Loch creates fruit-filled pierogies. Traditionally savory, his version is packed with blueberries or apples and walnuts, tucked into dough enriched with a surprising ingredient – duck fat supplied by a local farm.
From his Filipino heritage, Father Eric Tolentino, Pastor of Annunciation BVM and St. John Fisher, both in Catasauqua, shares “Torta,” a hearty “meat omelet” he remembers devouring as a child. His parents “usually couldn’t make enough of it,” he recalls with a smile.
For Father Joji Adagatla, M.S.C., Parochial Administrator at Holy Family, Minersville, home tastes like India. Assisted by Sisters Mary Jane Dunleavy, S.S.J., and Catherine Brennan, S.S.J., he prepares classic Butter Chicken – grilled chicken simmered in a velvety, tangy tomato-cream sauce that’s beloved worldwide.
The video by St. Ann, Emmaus takes viewers to Africa, as Monsignor Edward Coyle joins Father Simon Kimaryo in making “Fufu Ugali,” a Tanzanian dish Father Simon learned in his home village. Traditionally made with cornmeal and plantains, Father Simon’s potato-based version pairs perfectly with bean stew. Monsignor Coyle, however, prefers simpler fare – a hot dog with mustard. Their video raises funds for a school in Father Simon’s native Tanzania.
Not all recipes in the competition are exotic though. At Sacred Heart, Palmerton, Father Michael Mullins opts for a classic Lemon Freeze Bar with a graham cracker crust, which seems reminiscent of a grandmother’s recipe box. Though he found the recipe online, saying it’s the kind of dessert he likes to bring as a guest. “When I’m invited to dinner, I don’t like to arrive empty-handed,” he said.
Humble about his culinary skills – “I can survive my own meals, but I wouldn’t want others to have to endure them,” he says – Father Mullins shows generosity by pledging to match donations to his parish from the competition and give them to St. John Neumann Regional School, Palmerton/Slatington.
From Slovakia to Vietnam, Poland to the Philippines, Tanzania and beyond, “Cooks with Collars” showcases a banquet of cultures united by faith and fellowship. More than a cooking contest, the event raises vital funds for parishes and schools while giving parishioners a chance to see their priests in a new light – laughing in their kitchens, telling family stories, and sharing meals that connect past to present.
The competition is open through Tuesday, Sept. 30 at midnight. To watch the videos and vote for your favorite priests and parishes, visit www.cookswithcollars.com.
